Every once in a while you hear the debate whether bushcraft, wilderness survival skills and prepping go hand in hand. While not everyone interested in bushcraft is a prepper, most preppers are interested in wilderness survival skills for many reasons.
In the interview with Brian Adey author of Adventure of a Lifetime we talked about how some of these bushcraft skills are valuable to preppers, and how they can be applied even to preppers in an urban area.
His book “Adventure of a lifetime” The main character Ryan McQuaid is struggling with his position in life. Tired of going to work every day, at a job that he hates, he decides to do something drastic. On a whim, he decides to follow his childhood dream of taking a wilderness adventure in the remote regions of Alaska. However, few things go as planned, and this adventure is no exception.
This is a great book, and while we probably won’t find ourselves stuck in the Alaskan wilderness, some of the trials the characters go through and the supplies they use apply to survival in general.
SPP149 Bushcraft, Survival Skills and Prepping with Brian Adey
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Here is a list of the questions and topics we covered in the show. I also left some links to resources we also talked about during the interview.
How Wilderness Survival Skills Are Important to Preppers
There is a lot of overlap when it comes to prepping and wilderness survival skills. They teach us the processes of building shelter, starting fire, and finding food. They can then be applied to other scenarios using different materials.
In a bug out situation, or any situation where we need to think on our feet, survival skills are much more important than the supplies we have.
The Importance of Attitude And Mindset
If you have ever watched the show Alone you know that the biggest challeng they face is themselves. All the tools in the world are great, but without the survival mindset you are doomed to fail.
In any situation we need to expect the unexpected, expect to make mistakes, and most of all understand that things will never go as planned. Our ability to adapt, and the skills in our head will take us much further than the perfect survival knife.
Important Buschcraft skills For Preppers
In the show I asked Brian what he thought the most important wilderness survival skills and supplies are when it comes to the average everyday prepper, here is what he listed…
- Fire Starting
- Having a Knife
- Building Shelter
- Having Cordage
Backyard Bushcraft
Learning some of these bushcraft skills doesn’t mean we need to venture out into the wilderness by ourselves for a month and try to survive, there is stuff we can do right in our backyard to practice these skills.
We talked about learning about starting fire and the correct materials, learning to set traps and snares, foraging for wild edible in your area and more.
Buschcraft USA Forums
In the beginning of Brian book he mentioned the Bushcraft USA forums and how they offer a free bushcraft course for anyone interested.
Basically you watch a video, practice that skill and submit your results to one of the admins and they give you a pass or fail. If you fail you just try again until you get it, and afterwords you get a certification in that area.
This is something I am definitely going to try, and I’ll keep everyone updated on my thoughts and progress. You can check out BushcraftUSA here.
The Survival Kit in the Book
Brian mentioned that the survival supplies Ryan used in the book is identical to the suppies he uses, her is the list mentioned in the book.
- Pack: LA Police Gear Operator Pack
- 32 oz. Nalgene Bottle
- Sawyer Mini Water Filter
- Bottle of Water Purification Tabs
(25)
- Handheld LED Flashlight
- LED Headlamp
- Glock 20 With Extra Magazine and holster
- 25 Rounds 25mm Ammo
- Mossberg 500 Shotgun (Bears Protection)
- 15 3″ Mag Rifled Slugs
- Swedish Military Poncho
- 2 Pair of Wool Socks
- 2 Person Emergency Blanket
- Silky Gomboy Folding Saw
- Gansfors Bruks Small Forest Axe
- Survive! Knives GSO 5.1″ in Leather Sheath
- Stilwell Knives Model 5 in Leather Sheath
- Spyderco Endura
- Leatherman Multi-Tool
- Small Sharpening Stone
- Leather Strop
- 4mil 55 Gallon Drum Liners (2)
- Work Gloves
- Wool Cap
- UCO Stormproof Matches
(25)
- 3/8″ x 3″ Ferro Rod
- Handkerchief/Bandanna
- Safety Razor
- 50′ Roll of Duct Tape
- 2 Rolls Camp Toilet Paper
- Sleeping Bag (rated 0 degrees)
- Bed Roll
- Small First Aid Kit
- Field Notes Booklet
- Ballpoint Pen
- Map of Area
Listener questions
At the end of the show we also took some questions form listeners. I wish we had time for more, but here are a few that we talked about in the show.
Lester: What is the best ferro rod? Or is there really any difference?
Wayne: when you plan to undertake something like the adventure Brian has written about and you make detailed plans for it to be successful, my question is, “How important is it to have plan B, C, and D if things don’t go like you thought they would?”
Carla: What is the best thing to do as alternative plan if two old farts have to bug out? We aren’t in the best of shape and have medical issues, but I’ll be damned if we just give up or give in!
Scott: What do you think was the most important skilled you used/learned? How did you learn to track?
Other Resources Mentioned…
Book: Tracking and the Art of Seeing: How to Read Animal Tracks and Sign
Recommended Fire Steel Striker: FireSteel.com
Ferro Rod: light my fire swedish firesteel
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